Kommando Spezialkräfte
| Kommando Spezialkräfte | |
|---|---|
.svg)
KSK unit badge
|
|
| Active | 1996 (Created) 1997 (Activated)–present |
| Country |
 Germany
|
| Branch | German Army |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role |
Airborne operations Counter-Insurgency Counter-terrorism Covert Ops Direct Action Hostage Rescue High Value Targets/Manhunting Intelligence Operations Mobility Operations Unconventional Warfare |
| Size | ~ 1100 active personnel |
| Part of | Rapid Forces Division |
| Garrison/HQ | Calw, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Motto(s) | Facit Omnia Voluntas (lat. The will is decisive ) |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations |
 |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier General (Brigadegeneral) Dag Baehr, since April 2013 |
| Notable commanders |
Brigadier General (Brigadegeneral) Hans-Christoph Ammon |
KSK Kommando Spezialkräfte (Special Forces Command, KSK) is an elite special forces military unit composed of special operations soldiers handpicked from the ranks of Germany's Bundeswehr and organized under the Rapid Forces Division. KSK has received many decorations and awards from NATO, the United States and its affiliates and KSK operatives are frequently requested for joint anti-terror operations, notably in the Balkans and Middle East.
From 1973, until the KSK’s formation in 1996, the West German (and later German) government assigned all counter-terrorist and special operations activities to the GSG 9, a highly trained police force created shortly after the hostage-taking that transpired during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Prior to 1973, the army’s Fernspäher (Long-Distance Reconnaissance), the navy’s Kampfschwimmer (Combat Swimmers/"Frogmen"), and (until 1989) the Special Weapons Escort Companies—Sonderwaffenbegleitkompanien were the only military units comparable to anything that other nations may have seen as dedicated special forces units. Following the KSK’s activation on April 1, 1997, all but one of the Fernspähkompanie have been either disbanded or merged into the newly constituted unit.
Like those of all German military units, KSK deployments require authorization from the German Bundestag (Federal Assembly). The unit has engaged in numerous anti-terror campaigns both in Europe and abroad; known engagements include operations inside Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and most recently in Afghanistan. As is to be expected with such units, specific operational details such as success and casualty rates are considered to be top secret and withheld even from the highest-ranking members of the Bundestag. This practice has elicited some serious concerns, resulting in agreement to increase both transparency and accountability, by disclosing mission details to selected members of the Bundestag, in relation to the future deployments of KSK forces.
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Wikipedia